In the United Kingdom, the Great Officers of State are traditional ministers of the Crown who either inherit their positions or are appointed to exercise certain largely ceremonial functions or to operate as members of the government. [1] Separate Great Officers exist for England and Wales, Scotland, and formerly for Ireland, though some exist for Great Britain and the United Kingdom as a whole.
Initially, after the Norman Conquest, England adopted the officers from the Normandy Ducal court (which was modelled after the French court) with a steward, chamberlain and constable. Originally having both household and governmental duties, some of these officers later split into two counterparts in Great Officer of the State and officer of the royal household, while other offices were superseded by new offices or absorbed by existing offices. This was due to many of the offices becoming hereditary because of feudalistic practices, and thus removed from the practical operation of either the state or the Royal Household. [2] The Great Officers then gradually expanded to cover multiple duties, and have now become largely ceremonial.
The Lord High Steward (formally the Lord High Steward of England) has the sole power to preside over the impeachment trials of peers, [10] the last of which happened in 1806. The most visible duty of the Lord High Steward today, even though purely ceremonial, is bearing St Edward's Crown at the coronations of monarchs.
The Lord High Stewardship was held by the Earls of Leicester until 1399, when it was merged into the Crown. [11] Since 1421, the office is vested during coronations (and in the past for the trial of peers), [12] and is otherwise left vacant. [10]
The Lord Chancellor (formally the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain) is the most senior of the Great Officers other than the Lord High Steward (who is appointed only on a temporary basis for coronations): he is the cabinet minister responsible for the Ministry of Justice (formerly the Lord Chancellor's Department and the Department for Constitutional Affairs), and formally the Keeper of the Great Seal. [13] The office is currently always held by His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Justice. Historically, the Chancellor has enjoyed duties pertaining to the judiciary, and in the past he was the presiding officer of the House of Lords, and was made a peer if not already one; [13] however, since 2007 only commoners have been appointed to the office. [14]
The Lord Keeper of the Great Seal was generally a temporary position to handle the Great Seal until the appointment of a new High Chancellor, or for a non-noble appointment. Eventually, the Keeper was granted the same status as the Chancellor. By the late 1700s, the Lord Keeper's role was merged into the Chancellorship itself. [15] Lords Commissioners of the Great Seal may be appointed to exercise the office of Lord Chancellor. [16] The Lord Chancellor is assisted in his responsibility as custodian of the Great Seal by the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery and the Crown Office. [17]
The Chief Justiciar (which superseded the Lord High Steward) was once ranked above the Lord High Chancellor in power, influence and dignity until 1231, when the position lost its standing in the Kingdom. [18] With the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, the Lord Chancellor has been replaced in some roles by the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales as head of the judiciary, and the Lord Speaker as chair of the House of Lords. [19]
The Lord High Treasurer (formally the Lord High Treasurer of the United Kingdom), is responsible for government finances and spending. [3] The office has been vacant since the death of Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury, in 1714.
With the passing of the Consolidated Fund Act 1816, the offices of Lord High Treasurer of Great Britain (who in turn held the office of Treasurer of the Exchequer of Great Britain) [20] [6] and Lord High Treasurer of Ireland were merged into that of the Lord High Treasurer of the United Kingdom. [21] The Act also enabled His Majesty to put the two offices in commission, granting the powers of the Lord High Treasurer to the said commission (the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty’s Treasury). [5] Contrary to popular belief, the commission is upon the offices of Treasurer of the Exchequer and Lord High Treasurer of Ireland, and not on the Lord High Treasurer of the United Kingdom. The Commissioners include the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who act as First Lord and Second Lord of the Treasury respectively, with other junior government whips serving as junior lords. [22]
The Lord President of the Council presides over His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, [23] [24] otherwise known as the Privy Council, though different governments have given the office various additional duties (as Churchill did after the Second World War). [25] Since 1951, the office has usually been held by either the Leader of the House of Commons or the Leader of the House of Lords, with the other serving as Lord Privy Seal, though the office can be given to other high-ranking government ministers. [26]
The Lord Privy Seal (formally the Lord Keeper of His Majesty's Privy Seal) was responsible for the monarch's privy seal, until the use of such seal became obsolete, and is now considered a sinecure position, usually granted to the Leader of one or other of the Houses of Parliament. [1]
The Lord Great Chamberlain (formally the Lord Great Chamberlain of England) originally had financial duties pertaining to the royal Court, though these duties have now been assumed by the Lord High Treasurer. [27] The Chamberlain also has charge of the Palace of Westminster (working within the House of Lords), and is responsible for arrangements during the State Opening of Parliament, a role which he shares with the Earl Marshal. [3]
The office was originally held by the Earls of Oxford. Later, however, the Chamberlainship came to be inherited by the Earl of Lindsey and then his multiple heirs, who later became the Dukes of Ancaster and Kesteven. [27] The 3rd Duke left two daughters as heirs. The House of Lords ruled that the two sisters were jointly Lord Great Chamberlain and could appoint a Deputy to fulfil the functions of the office. [28] The same ruling was applied in 1902 for the then joint office holders, the 1st Earl of Ancaster, the 4th Marquess of Cholmondeley, and the 1st Earl Carrington. [29] In 1912 an agreement was reached that the office should rotate every reign amongst themselves and their heirs, with the Cholmondeleys serving every other reign, and the heirs of Ancaster and Carrington every four reigns each. [8]
The House of Lords Act 1999 removed the automatic right of hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords, but the Act provided that the Lord Great Chamberlain and the Earl Marshal be exempt from such a rule, so that they may continue to carry out their ceremonial functions in the House. [30]
The Lord High Constable (formally the Lord High Constable of England) was the commander of the royal armies and the Master of the Horse and, in conjunction with the Earl Marshal, president of the Court of Chivalry or Court of Honour. [31] The office was originally inherited by the Earls of Hereford, though it reverted to the Crown in 1512 on the attainder of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, and is now reinstated only for the day of a coronation (where he commands the whole of the coronation troops). [31] The Earl Marshal of England assumed the place of the Constable in the royal palace in the command of the royal armies. [2]
The Earl Marshal (formally the Earl Marshal and Hereditary Marshal of England), held in conjunction with the office Marshal of England, was originally responsible for the monarch's horses and stables, as well as taking charge over the royal armies; these duties were shared with the Constable. [33] His duties evolved to ceremonial responsibilities in regard to the organisation of major ceremonial state occasions, most notably coronations, state funerals, and the State Opening of Parliament. [3]
The Earl Marshal also remains to have charge over the College of Arms, [3] [34] and issues warrants for the grant of arms in England, Wales and Ireland. His Majesty's High Court of Chivalry, with jurisdiction over all matters relating to heraldry, is presided over by the Earl Marshal. [35]
The Lord High Admiral (formally the Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom) is the ceremonial head of the Royal Navy, holding no command at sea but, rather, jurisdiction over maritime affairs, including courts. [36] The office is vested in the Crown, who may otherwise dispense it to other individuals (mainly members of the Royal Family), [37] or put it under commission, notably when it was held by the Board of Admiralty, from 1708 to 1964. [38]
The term "officer of state" is sometimes used loosely of any great office under the Crown. As in England, many offices are hereditary. A number of historical offices ended at, or soon after, the Treaty of Union 1707. There are also a number of Officers of the Crown and Great Officers of the Royal Household. These Officers of State were also called "Officers of the Crown" despite there being a separate group of officers so named that are not officers of state [39] and, unlike the officers of state, did not sit or vote in meetings. [39]
| Order | Office [39] | Holder during 1707 | Current holder | Notes [39] [40] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Officers of State | ||||
| 1 | Lord High Chancellor of Scotland | James Ogilvy 1st Earl of Seafield | — | Merged with Lord High Chancellor of England in 1701 to form the office of Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain. |
| 2 | Lord High Treasurer of Scotland (Lord High Treasurer, Comptroller, Collector-General, and Treasurer of the New Augmentation) | In commission: Commissioners of the Treasury of Scotland — James Ogilvy David Boyle The Honourable | — [b] | Merged with Lord High Treasurer of England in 1701 to form the office of Lord High Treasurer of Great Britain. |
| 3 | Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland | James Douglas 2nd Duke of Queensberry | — | Vacant since the death of Gavin Campbell, 1st Marquess of Breadalbane in 1921. |
| 4 | Lord Secretary of Scotland (Secretary of State for Scotland) | Hugh Campbell 3rd Earl of Loudoun | — | Office abolished in 1709. |
| Lesser Officers of State | ||||
| 5 | Lord Clerk Register | David Boyle 1st Earl of Glasgow | Elish Angiolini | Since 1817, also Keeper of the Signet in Scotland. [41] |
| 6 | Lord Advocate (His Majesty's (Lord) [g] Advocate) | Sir James Stewart | Dorothy Bain | — |
| 7 | Lord Treasurer-depute | David Boyle 1st Earl of Glasgow | — | Office abolished by the Acts of Union 1707. |
| 8 | Lord Justice Clerk | Adam Cockburn Lord Ormiston | Leeona Dorrian Lady Dorrian | — |
| Abolished Officers of State | ||||
| n/a | Comptroller of Scotland | — | — | Merged into the office of Lord High Treasurer of Scotland. |
| n/a | Master of Requests for Scotland | — | — | Merged into the office of Lord Secretary of Scotland. |
After the abolition of the Mayor of the Palace, France established seven officers of the crown (ordered by rank): the high constable, the high admiral, the high or great chancellor, the great justiciar, the great chamberlain, the great protonotary, and the great steward or seneschal. These offices were duplicated in the Kingdom of Scotland. By the time of King Malcolm II, the great protonotary was extinct and the great justiciar was replaced by the Lord Justice General. [46]
The post of High Constable is held by the Earls of Erroll. Originally, the heads of the Keith family held the office of Earl Marischal but, in 1716, the holder was attainted for treason, and the office has not been re-granted. The Dukes of Argyll are the Hereditary Masters of the Household. All other officers are Crown appointments. Many of these offices, though originally associated with political power, are now only ceremonial.
The remaining officers are related to Scotland's judiciary. The Lord Justice General was originally an important noble, though in the 19th century the office was combined with that of Lord President of the Court of Session. Now, the Lord Justice General is the head of Scotland's judiciary. The Lord Clerk Register is an officer with miscellaneous functions that include conducting the elections of Scottish representative peers, and registering births and deaths. The Lord Advocate is at the head of the law offices of Scotland; all prosecutors act in his/her name. The Lord Justice Clerk serves as a deputy of the Lord Justice General. Finally, the Lord Lyon King of Arms is the sole judge in the Lyon Court, which determines cases relating to heraldry.
Prior to the Union of 1707 there were eight officers of state: four greater officers, and four lesser officers. This was limited by an act of parliament, such that two officers of state, Comptroller and Master of Requests, were merged with Lord High Treasurer and Lord Secretary respectively. [50] The greater officers were the Lord High Chancellor, Lord High Treasurer, Lord Privy Seal and Lord Secretary; the lesser officers were the Lord Clerk Register, Lord Advocate, Lord Treasurer-depute and Lord Justice Clerk, with the Lord Clerk Register the only one fixed in precedency. [39]
A number of offices ended at, or soon after, the Union of 1707. These include the High Chancellor, the High Treasurer, the Secretary of Scotland, the Treasurer-depute, the President of the Privy Council, and the High Admiral of Scotland.
Earl Marshal is a hereditary royal officeholder and chivalric title under the sovereign of the United Kingdom used in England. He is the eighth of the great officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Constable of England and above the Lord High Admiral. The dukes of Norfolk have held the office since 1672.
A staff of office is a staff, the carrying of which often denotes an official's position, a social rank or a degree of social prestige.
The Lord President of the Council is the presiding officer of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom and the fourth of the Great Officers of State, ranking below the Lord High Treasurer but above the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal. The Lord President usually attends and is responsible for chairing the meetings of the Privy Council, presenting business for the approval of the Sovereign.
The Lord Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. Originally, its holder was responsible for the monarch's personal (privy) seal until the use of such a seal became obsolete. Though one of the oldest offices in European governments, it has no particular function today because the use of a privy seal has been obsolete for centuries; it may be regarded as a traditional sinecure, but today, the holder of the office is invariably given a seat in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom, and is sometimes referred to as a minister without portfolio.
The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is the minister of justice for the whole United Kingdom and the highest-ranking Great Officer of State in Scotland and England, nominally outranking the prime minister. The lord chancellor is appointed and dismissed by the sovereign on the advice of the prime minister. Prior to the union of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain, there were separate lord chancellors for the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland. Likewise, the Lordship of Ireland and its successor states maintained the office of lord chancellor of Ireland until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922, whereupon the office was abolished.
A sinecure is a position with a salary or otherwise generating income that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. The term originated in the medieval church, where it signified a post without any responsibility for the "cure [care] of souls", the regular liturgical and pastoral functions of a cleric, but came to be applied to any post, secular or ecclesiastical, that involved little or no actual work. Sinecures have historically provided a potent tool for governments or monarchs to distribute patronage, while recipients are able to store up titles and easy salaries.
The Lord Great Chamberlain of England is the sixth of the Great Officers of State, ranking beneath the Lord Privy Seal but above the Lord High Constable. The office of Lord Great Chamberlain is an ancient one: it was first created around 1126 and has been in continuous existence since 1138. The incumbent is Rupert Carington, 7th Baron Carrington.
The Lord High Constable of England is the seventh of the Great Officers of State, ranking beneath the Lord Great Chamberlain and above the Earl Marshal. This office is now called out of abeyance only for coronations. The Lord High Constable was originally the commander of the royal armies and the Master of the Horse. He was also, in conjunction with the Earl Marshal, president of the court of chivalry or court of honour. In feudal times, martial law was administered in the court of the Lord High Constable.
The Lord High Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Acts of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third-highest-ranked Great Officer of State in England, below the Lord High Steward and the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain.
The Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England, and later of Great Britain, was formerly an officer of the English Crown charged with physical custody of the Great Seal of England. This position evolved into that of one of the Great Officers of State.
Justiciar is the English form of the medieval Latin term justiciarius or justitiarius. The Chief Justiciar was the king's chief minister, roughly equivalent to a modern Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Government in medieval monarchies generally comprised the king's companions, later becoming the royal household, from which the officers of state arose, initially having household and government duties. Later some of these officers became two: one serving state and one serving household. They were superseded by new officers, or were absorbed by existing officers. Many of the officers became hereditary and thus removed from practical operation of either the state or the household.
Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond, 6th Duke of Lennox, 1st Duke of Gordon,, styled the Earl of March until 1860, was a British Conservative politician.
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the Dukedom of Edinburgh awarded for life to Prince Edward in 2023, all life peerages conferred since 2009 have been created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 with the rank of baron and entitle their holders to sit and vote in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as age and citizenship. The legitimate children of a life peer appointed under the Life Peerages Act 1958 are entitled to style themselves with the prefix "The Honourable", although they cannot inherit the peerage itself. Prior to 2009, life peers of baronial rank could also be so created under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 for senior judges.
In the United Kingdom there are at least six Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, serving as a commission for the ancient office of Treasurer of the Exchequer. The board consists of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second Lord of the Treasury, and four or more junior lords acting as whips in the House of Commons to whom this title is usually applied.
James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Châtellerault, 2nd Earl of Arran, was a Scottish nobleman and head of the House of Hamilton. A great-grandson of King James II of Scotland, he was heir presumptive to the Scottish throne. Arran was Regent of Scotland during the minority of Mary, Queen of Scots from 1543 to 1554, when he lost the regency to Mary of Guise. At first pro-English and Protestant, he converted to Catholicism in 1543 and supported a pro-French policy. He reluctantly agreed to Mary's marriage to Francis, eldest son of King Henry II of France, and was rewarded by Henry by being made Duke of Châtellerault in 1549. During the Scottish Reformation, Châtellerault joined the Protestant Lords of the Congregation to oppose the regency of Mary of Guise, and lost his French dukedom as a result.
John Leslie, son of John Leslie, 6th Earl of Rothes, was the 7th Earl of Rothes and 1st Duke of Rothes. According to tradition, he was a descendant of Princess Beatrix, sister of King Malcolm III of Scotland. His family had intermarried with both the Stuarts and the Bruces.
Holders of the office of Lord Chamberlain of Scotland are known from about 1124. It was ranked by King Malcolm as the third great Officer of State, called Camerarius Domini Regis, and had a salary of £200 per annum allotted to him. He anciently collected the revenues of the Crown, at least before Scotland had a Treasurer, of which office there is no vestige until the restoration of King James I when he disbursed the money necessary for the maintenance of the King's Household.
A chamberlain is a senior royal official in charge of managing a royal household. Historically, the chamberlain superintends the arrangement of domestic affairs and was often also charged with receiving and paying out money kept in the royal chamber. The position was usually awarded as an honour to a high-ranking member of the nobility (nobleman) or the clergy, often a royal favourite. Roman emperors appointed this officer under the title of cubicularius. The Chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church enjoys very extensive powers, having the revenues of the papal household under his charge. As a sign of their dignity, chamberlains bore a key, which in the seventeenth century was often silvered, and actually fitted the door-locks of chamber rooms. Since the eighteenth century, it has turned into a merely symbolic, albeit splendid, rank-insignia of gilded bronze. In many countries there are ceremonial posts associated with the household of the sovereign.
The order of precedence in Ireland was fixed by Royal Warrant on 2 January 1897 during Ireland's ties to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
[...] whenever there shall not be any such [Lord High Treasurer of the United Kingdom], it shall and may be lawful for his Majesty by letters patent under the great seal of Great Britain to appoint commissioners for executing the offices of treasurer of the Exchequer of Great Britain and lord high treasurer of Ireland; and such commissioners shall be called commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; and the said commissioners shall have all such powers and authorities in and through the whole of the said United Kingdom with respect to the collection, issuing, and application of the whole revenues of the United Kingdom [...]
The offices of [Lord High Treasurer] of Great Britain and [Lord High Treasurer] of Ireland shall be united into one office, and the person holding the same shall be called [Lord High Treasurer] of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland [...]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)At any one time 90 people shall be excepted from section 1; but anyone excepted as holder of the office of Earl Marshal, or as performing the office of Lord Great Chamberlain, shall not count towards that limit.
As the title of Lord High Admiral is not hereditary and was resumed by the sovereign personally in 1964, upon the Death of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh it will have been subsumed back into the Crown. As this title is personally held by His Majesty, it is within his gift to decide if it remains with the Crown or if it will be awarded to another individual.
The duties of keeper of the signet in Scotland shall be discharged by the lord register [...]
The Secretary shall have the place, trust, and office of Keeper of Her Majesty's Seal, appointed by the Treaty of Union to be kept and made use of in Scotland in place of the Great Seal of Scotland [...]
The First Minister shall be the Keeper of the [Great Seal of Scotland].
| Great Officers of State of England |
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| Officers of State of Scotland |
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| Officers of the Crown of Scotland |
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1 Office is either vested in the Crown, or vacant. Status is currently debated. 2 There is debate around whether these offices constitute Officers of the Crown. | |||||||||||||||||||||